Candidates try to reschedule debate at Mohawk Valley Community College for the night before Election Day.
Little Falls, New York – Martin Babinec, Independent, Reform and Upstate Jobs candidate for Congress today called out Claudia Tenney and Kim Myers for “playing hide and seek” with debates. Over a month ago all parties agreed to a debate hosted by the Mohawk Valley Community College Professional Association scheduled for this Friday, September 23rd.
In a letter to Justin Rahn, Chair of the association’s Political Outreach Committee, Babinec took both Tenney and Myers to task for “playing a childish game of hide and seek with the voters.”
“Trackers, private investigators, negative ads and now ducking debates – voters are sick and tired of the games career politicians like Tenney and Myers are playing,” said Babinec.
He added, “It’s clear by their actions that it will be more of the same cynical establishment politics in Washington if either of them get elected.”
Babinec plans to keep his pledge and meet voters who show up at the Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building on Friday at 6pm as agreed to.
The full text of the letter is below.
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Justin D. Rahn
Chair Political Outreach Committee
Mohawk Valley Community College Professional Association
1101 Sherman Dr. Utica NY 13501-5394
September 20, 2016
Dear Justin,
It’s come to my attention that the debate, currently scheduled for this Friday, September 23rd, at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) has been moved to November 7th, the night before Election Day, at the request of the Myers and Tenney campaigns.
The Friday debate was agreed upon, by all parties, over a month ago. My campaign never consented to this change and any representation by my opponents to the contrary is false. It’s unfortunate, that MVCC, as the host of the debate, has been unfairly thrust into this position.
To be direct, I think the actions of the Tenney and Myers campaign display a total lack of respect for the voters of the 22nd Congressional District. Stifling debate and hiding from a real dialogue with the voters is emblematic of the establishment that’s rigged against newcomers. By moving the debate to the night before Election Day, Ms. Tenney and Ms. Myers are playing a childish game of hide and seek with the voters. Voters are sick and tired of the games.
I’m running for Congress as an independent in part because it’s clear to me that the two party system is broken. Finally, I still know voters who are planning to attend as there has been no communication announcing a change.
In closing, I want to extend my deepest appreciation to MVCC and the Association for efforts to make this forum possible for the voters of the 22nd Congressional District. Education, transparency and an open-honest dialogue make for a healthy democracy. With that in mind, I for one will be there at the appointed time Friday – ready to debate, answer questions and meet with voters.
Sincerely,
Martin Babinec
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NEXT -> What do you think…do the acts of Myers and Tenney rescheduling a debate that was agreed upon by all candidates more than a month ago display a total lack of respect for the voters of the 22nd Congressional District? Contact us!
Martin is ‘right on’ in deciding to stay the course and calling out the other two candidates for silly political tactics that anyone can see through. And I agree, the current two-party system is broken and in need of a major overhaul. I applaud Martin for staying true to his message and for his deep integrity and commitment to the area.
Hi Martin Babinec for Congress!
My wife and I met you at Turning Stone a few weeks ago, while you were campaigning.
I called your name and then introduced us to you. We’re from Endicott, NY.
I am definitely pulling the level for you.
I was called by a “Robo Survey” about who would I vote for Congress.
I answered #3 option Martin Babinec for Congress, 4 times.
They tried to get to me to change my mind after they bashed each candidate, (including you once) several times.
I laughed at their reason.
Anyway, count me in. And don’t forget what I said about making sure that those jobs benefit EVERYONE, not just the companies providing those jobs; but their workers (union or non-union) and the communities they reside in. Thank you Martin. 🙂
I think Tenny & Myers are nothing more than neo-liberal corporate candidates that should apologize to You and the voters that show up tomorrow. They don’t care about the people.
Why not embarrass them with a political add that says:
“So you trust Kim Meyers or Claudia Tenny to be honest hard-working representatives for you, when they both cancel a debate among ALL three candidates they agreed upon a month ago, and didn’t let the voters even know that it’s been moved to the day before election day?
Same old broken two party system. Vote for Martin Babinec. He doesn’t play games while he works. He works for the people ALL the time.”